ARTICLE
Spiritual wellbeing and Carpe Diem
Dr Airdre Grant | Lecturer , Learning Futures Team , Deakin University , Melbourne , Australia Adjunct Academic , Centre for Teaching and Learning , Southern Cross University , Lismore , NSW Australia
These are dark times . The world is changing in a way we cannot comprehend or control . It ’ s upsetting in a primal way . People can behave erratically , feelings are baffled . Practitioners may find their clients suffer from weltschmerz . This complex German word describes a feeling of malaise or melancholy which permeates our being , despite there being no immediately definable cause . It ’ s an underlying sense of feeling crummy . A spiritual unease .
Powerlessness can cause great discontent and confused feelings of impotent rage as the future unfolds and we don ’ t know where it ’ s going , how long it ’ s going to take , or have any sense of what the future might look like . We must come to terms with the knowledge that there is no ‘ getting back to normal ’. We are heading into a new world order .
Practitioners may find that clients struggle to express themselves and their feeling of ennui . They look for remedy or assistance . The holistic practitioner can offer immediate support using the tools of diet , supplements , exercise , herbal medicines , lifestyle recommendations and more . However , in this time of dealing with a malady of the spirit this requires older , more traditional strategies . We are working with the subtle forces that underpin wellbeing .
Working with disturbances of the spirit is underworld toil .
This a good time to remember that the ancient wisdoms prevail and consider traditional remedies as tonic for a disturbed soul . They may be familiar , and that ’ s because they are tried and true . Try them with your clients .
Walk barefoot on the earth .
Traditionally it ’ s an effective way to reconnect with the earth and to build a feeling of groundedness . 1 In Chinese medicine one of the oldest remedies in times of imbalance and disease is , if at all possible , to walk barefoot on sand or dew-soaked grass . This very simple practice is about bringing the body back into awareness of nature and towards restoration of something inside which is out of balance . The research data shows it reduces levels of cortisol , rejuvenates the spirit and calms the mind . 2
Forest bathing / bush walking / trekking / tramping
Get out into nature as often as you can . A walk in the park , a picnic under a tree , a stroll in the garden . The Japanese call it shinrin-yoku and it means to bathe yourself in all the good green energy , be offline , off grid , and just be . Enjoy looking at birds and trees and be present . 3 Unplug from thinking ahead and looking back , and be in the moment where all that concerns you is the ants in your sandwich .
Get dirty
Don ’ t be too obsessively clean all the time . Friendly soil bacteria stimulate the immune system , causing it to release serotonin . This is good stuff . Let mud seep between your toes , let the sweat run down , have dirty fingernails after working the soil . And then move to the next step – bathe .
Bathe in salty water
If the sea is not available , then try any aquatic pleasure available to you . It ’ s deeply good for our watery beings to immerse in water . Think Epsom salt baths , saunas . Hydrotherapy is an ancient tradition for a really good reason . It cleanses and renews . It offers stillness and helps settle inner disturbance . Take the waters and soothe the soul along with aching joints and stressed body systems .
Star knowledge
Juliette de Baïracli Levy ( 1912-2009 ) was a herbalist and vet who learned from the Romani people . She was deeply immersed in the rhythms of nature and considered disconnection from Earth ’ s force was at the root of soul disturbance . She prescribed sleeping under the stars as a path to wellbeing . 4 We all have a celestial
142 | vol27 | no3 | JATMS